Gavirag
The Gavirag, also known as Gavirag Saurians or The Guardians of the Deep Place are a Saurag subspecies. Generally lumped in under the umbrella term Saurag, the Gavirag are distinct enough to be considered a branch of the Saurag species but not so much as to be considered a species in their own right.
Culturally the Gavirag are also very similar to the mainline Saurag - as are most Saurian subspecies - with only a few key distinctions. For instance the Gavirag practice a loose form of democracy in which the males of neighboring family groups (known as pods) come together in a loose confederation to make decisions to defend their territory. Several of these confederations dot the center of the Boglands and remain relatively peaceful - never escalating to full war as is common with the tribal warfare of the main Saurag branch. Instead individual combat between two Gavirag is most common.
Most Gavirag are considered to be ignorant by Saurian standards.
Overview
Excluding similarities shared among all Saurian groups, the Gavirag have a unique and interesting subculture within the Boglands. Where all other Saurian tribes must either migrate to and from the center of the swamps the Gavirag stay solely in the center of the Boglands where water is deepest. They never flee the rising water as their bodies have adapted to the deep marshes. Instead the most Gavirag spend their entire lives in or atop the water in specially crafted lodgings built to float atop the lakes and marshes.
Gavirag can stay underwater for two hours if waiting or conducting moderate activity. However, Gavirag are horrendous marchers when on foot and are not only much slower than their smaller counterparts but long marches can irreplaceablely damage their bodies.
The Gavirag are also much fewer in number than even the Saurag and thus live in much smaller family units known as pods. Pods of Gavirag rarely contain more than three to four individuals and even more rarely do they contain more than one adult male. Unlike Saurag the Gavirag have suffered a disproportionate decrease in their female population - creating fierce mating competition for the subspecies as a whole.
Thusly, Gavirag pods serve as a harem of sorts more so than a true tribal structure. In these pods a strong male will garner the company of as many female mates as he can - though practically it is rare for a pod to exceed three females. Stronger males are able to fight off more competitors and thus have pick of more desirable females. These pods then mate every season - with the males sometimes fighting others for right to mate with females.
This cycle continues until a female is won away from the pod in contest or the male of the pod decides they are no longer suitable for him. This unfortunately leaves little room for growth in Gavirag society for the female of the species - unlike with the more populous Saurag main branch.
Unlike the Saurag, however, there is no killing over spawning pools for the Gavirag. Instead the Gavirag females utilize an underwater volcanic spring in the center of the Boglands. This spring periodically vents the same tar-like substance coveted in the other spawning pools in the bogs. Only females are allowed to enter the springs vicinity where there is no fighting allowed. The females then lay their eggs in selected patches until the eggs are ready to hatch.
When the eggs hatch they are returned to the pod of the mother where they are raised within the family unit. Sons are cast out of the pod upon reaching adulthood and there are few cases in which they are allowed to stay. Some sons manage to kill their fathers and take lead of the pod.
Females meet one of three fates in general. One possibility is that the daughters stay with the pod and join the mating process - either replacing an unwanted mate or simply adding to the number. Second they are given to a pod son or neighboring pods. Thirdly they are killed by their mother or another member of the pod so they so not replace them.
Gavirag society is much more violent and animalistic than other Saurian subspecies. However, it has been documented that Gavirag sometimes join the tribes of other Saurians.
It is also documented that Gavirag have formed "War Pods" of up to five males to join warbands sent to disrupt the Naga, destroy encroaching Saurag tribes or even conduct inter-pod warfare.
Gavirag can stay underwater for two hours if waiting or conducting moderate activity. However, Gavirag are horrendous marchers when on foot and are not only much slower than their smaller counterparts but long marches can irreplaceablely damage their bodies.
The Gavirag are also much fewer in number than even the Saurag and thus live in much smaller family units known as pods. Pods of Gavirag rarely contain more than three to four individuals and even more rarely do they contain more than one adult male. Unlike Saurag the Gavirag have suffered a disproportionate decrease in their female population - creating fierce mating competition for the subspecies as a whole.
Thusly, Gavirag pods serve as a harem of sorts more so than a true tribal structure. In these pods a strong male will garner the company of as many female mates as he can - though practically it is rare for a pod to exceed three females. Stronger males are able to fight off more competitors and thus have pick of more desirable females. These pods then mate every season - with the males sometimes fighting others for right to mate with females.
This cycle continues until a female is won away from the pod in contest or the male of the pod decides they are no longer suitable for him. This unfortunately leaves little room for growth in Gavirag society for the female of the species - unlike with the more populous Saurag main branch.
Unlike the Saurag, however, there is no killing over spawning pools for the Gavirag. Instead the Gavirag females utilize an underwater volcanic spring in the center of the Boglands. This spring periodically vents the same tar-like substance coveted in the other spawning pools in the bogs. Only females are allowed to enter the springs vicinity where there is no fighting allowed. The females then lay their eggs in selected patches until the eggs are ready to hatch.
When the eggs hatch they are returned to the pod of the mother where they are raised within the family unit. Sons are cast out of the pod upon reaching adulthood and there are few cases in which they are allowed to stay. Some sons manage to kill their fathers and take lead of the pod.
Females meet one of three fates in general. One possibility is that the daughters stay with the pod and join the mating process - either replacing an unwanted mate or simply adding to the number. Second they are given to a pod son or neighboring pods. Thirdly they are killed by their mother or another member of the pod so they so not replace them.
Gavirag society is much more violent and animalistic than other Saurian subspecies. However, it has been documented that Gavirag sometimes join the tribes of other Saurians.
It is also documented that Gavirag have formed "War Pods" of up to five males to join warbands sent to disrupt the Naga, destroy encroaching Saurag tribes or even conduct inter-pod warfare.
Appearance
All Saurag races have two legs and arms ending in clawed digits as well as a long tail with spines running down the back. Saurian faces are always elongated that can vary in both length and width. Some posses forked tongues while others have tongues that end in a more blade-like tip. All Gavirag are distinguished by their crocodylian snouts.
Gavirag are generally larger than other Saurag races, averaging 12 - 14 feet. They are known to have severe spinal problems as they age.
Gavirag are digitigrade and so their legs appear to "bend backward" above the ankles and just below the knees. When running the species seems to lean forward into their run - decreasing their overall profile.
The species is capable of seeing in the ultraviolet spectrum due to the low-lighting provided by their habitat. Saurag use ultraviolet colors in their scales as apart of verbal and non-verbal communications.
Gavirag are generally larger than other Saurag races, averaging 12 - 14 feet. They are known to have severe spinal problems as they age.
Gavirag are digitigrade and so their legs appear to "bend backward" above the ankles and just below the knees. When running the species seems to lean forward into their run - decreasing their overall profile.
The species is capable of seeing in the ultraviolet spectrum due to the low-lighting provided by their habitat. Saurag use ultraviolet colors in their scales as apart of verbal and non-verbal communications.
Habitat
Living in the swamps at the center of the Nagai island, the Gavirag habitat is extremely wet, humid and murky. Winters bring torrential rain that raises the water level of the swamps which slowly regress as the winter nears its end.
Gavirag maintain an almost exclusively fish diet - though consumption of other animals and sentience has been reported.
Gavirag maintain an almost exclusively fish diet - though consumption of other animals and sentience has been reported.
Traits
- Excellent low-light vision
- Extremely sluggish compared to almost all other sentient species.
- Large, bulky and extreamly strong
- Slow Breeding
- Dangerously high risk of injury during long land journies
- Bacteria filled mouths (rotting bite)
Lore
Saurag are a deeply religious race who believe they are the spawns of what they call the ancients. It is said in their oral traditions that the Ancients were a behemoth race of reptiles that discovered the secret of immortality. The Ancients grew larger and taller until they were so heavy they shook the sky when they walked. Eventually they grew so large that they shook the gods of the sky - i.e the stars - from their homes and they descended upon the world. In anger the stars destroyed the ancients with fire.
Some stars, however, had fallen in love with the Ancients after they'd watched them for centuries in the sky. These stars, knowing they could not save the ancients from the wrath of their brethren, mated with some of the ancients. The spawn of this mating are what the Saurag believe their origin to be and consider themselves a divine race.
As such they highly value "Spawning Pools" - black lakes of tar believed to be the dissolved bodies of the ancients. These pools are used to lay clutches and those born outside of the pools are often ostracized.
Some stars, however, had fallen in love with the Ancients after they'd watched them for centuries in the sky. These stars, knowing they could not save the ancients from the wrath of their brethren, mated with some of the ancients. The spawn of this mating are what the Saurag believe their origin to be and consider themselves a divine race.
As such they highly value "Spawning Pools" - black lakes of tar believed to be the dissolved bodies of the ancients. These pools are used to lay clutches and those born outside of the pools are often ostracized.
Language
The language spoken by the Gavirag is known as Saurian. This language bears several similarities to its cousin Nagaish in that several of its sounds rely on varying hisses and clicks of the teeth.
However, unlike Nagaish, it relies heavier on growls and roars. The spoken language also contains a slight visual element that deals with the hue of a Gavirag's scales that can only be seen and understood by other Saurian Species.
The spoken language is unintelligible species originating outside of Nagai. It has been documented that Saurag and Naga who don't speak each others language are capable of very simple conversation.
The written form of Saurian is surprisingly complex, including over two hundred unique glyphs and symbols. Many of the symbols are pictographs of an item or place rather than a set of letters organized together to form a word as is with the human language.
This makes written communication for the Saurag races slow and mostly ineffective. For this reason oral tradition keeps most Saurag history and writing is used mostly by the Skyspeakers to record astrological information - though even this practice rarely utilizes proper Saurian glyphs.
However, unlike Nagaish, it relies heavier on growls and roars. The spoken language also contains a slight visual element that deals with the hue of a Gavirag's scales that can only be seen and understood by other Saurian Species.
The spoken language is unintelligible species originating outside of Nagai. It has been documented that Saurag and Naga who don't speak each others language are capable of very simple conversation.
The written form of Saurian is surprisingly complex, including over two hundred unique glyphs and symbols. Many of the symbols are pictographs of an item or place rather than a set of letters organized together to form a word as is with the human language.
This makes written communication for the Saurag races slow and mostly ineffective. For this reason oral tradition keeps most Saurag history and writing is used mostly by the Skyspeakers to record astrological information - though even this practice rarely utilizes proper Saurian glyphs.
Religion
The Gavirag are unique in that they believe they are descended from a specific ancient known as "The Lurker". It is believed that The Lurker was a monstrous sea beast that was so immense that its back was used as an island by smaller creatures. They believe that the steam from the volcanic vents used as their spawning pool is the sleeping breath of The Lurker who was buried beneath the sea to protect it from the wrath of the stars.
Other than this distinction the Gavirag hold the same beliefs as other Saurian subspecies.
Other than this distinction the Gavirag hold the same beliefs as other Saurian subspecies.
History
{{{History|Describe the history of the species. Feel free to leave for now and add more details over time}}}